Billie Bird Movies
A vaudeville and burlesque comedienne who went on to essay numerous film roles after being discovered at an orphanage at the age of eight, actress Billie Bird would later use her stage experience to entertain troops on 12 USO tours in the 1960s and '70s. Born Bird Berniece Sellen in Pocatello, ID, in February 1908, her chance discovery came when a traveling road show stopped to entertain the children at the orphanage in which she resided and immediately recognized her talent. Subsequently traveling with the troupe and studying with a tutor in her downtime, Bird went on to form a sister act and later appeared in such "light opera" works as Show Boat and New Moon. A move to Los Angeles in 1943 found Bird performing at such hot spots as Club Moderne and The Colony Club, and, from 1947 to 1955, she showed off her skills on the guitar, clarinet, vibraphone, and bagpipes in burlesque shows. Although Bird made her screen debut in the 1921 comedy Grass Widowers, it was the 1950s that found her edging away from the stage and toward television and film. Particularly active in movies in the '50s, Bird appeared in more than a dozen films, including Somebody Loves Me (1952) and The Joker Is Wild (1957). The actress remained relatively active in the '60s, as well, although her career slowed to a notable pace in the '70s with the exception of a featured role in the popular late-'70s sitcom Benson. However, her screen career later picked up momentum with such notable '80s comedies as Sixteen Candles (1984), One Crazy Summer (1986), and Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), and Bird made a successful return to the world of sitcom television as an aged, but feisty, support-group member in Dear John. Roles in such films as Home Alone (1990) and Dennis the Menace (1993) followed. In 1995, she made her final screen appearance in the Pauly Shore comedy Jury Duty. Stricken with Alzheimer's disease in the '90s, Bird died in November 2002. She was 92. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
John Hughes continues the trend he began with the Home Alone series in Dennis the Menace, the Hughes-scripted film version of Hank Ketcham's long-running comic strip, cartoon show, and television comedy. The film opens as Dennis (Mason Gamble) is seen careening down a sidewalk in a beautiful and idealistic suburban town on his training-wheeled bike -- cans on string clattering behind him, baseball cards flapping in the spokes of the wheel, his red wagon filled to the brim and his dog following him. "Hey! Mister Wilson!" he screams and slams his bike to a halt in front of his much put-upon neighbor, Mr. Wilson (Walter Matthau). Half of the film concerns vignettes of small-town Hank Ketcham life as Dennis' mom Alice (Lea Thompson) starts a new job, Dennis stays over at his friend Margaret's (Amy Sakasitz) house, and Mr. Wilson and his gentle, well-meaning wife, Martha (Joan Plowright), mind Dennis during the night of a big garden party. Through all this, Dennis continually gets into Mr. Wilson's hair. But then the Home Alone plot kicks in -- with an unsubtle dose of O. Henry -- when Switchblade Sam (Christopher Lloyd) makes an appearance. Switchblade Sam is a homeless drifter who combs the neighborhood stealing purses and small home items. But when Switchblade Sam steals Mr. Wilson's collection of gold coins, Dennis comes to the rescue and inflicts Dennis the Menace-type tortures upon the thief in order to reclaim the coins for Mr. Wilson. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Mason Gamble, (more)
- 1992
This episode was originally telecast one day before the election of President Bill Clinton--and, accordingly, focuses on the Election Day coverage by the "FYI" staff. As the ballots are tallied and the predictions noted, each staff member recalls the first time that he or she ever cast a vote. Not surprisingly, Murphy (Candice Bergen) serves up the most fascinating flashback, reaching way back to the turbulent seventies. Patrick Warburton of Seinfeld fame appears as Bo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Home Alone is the highly successful and beloved family comedy about a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) who is accidentally left behind when his family takes off for a vacation in France over the holiday season. Once he realizes they've left him "home alone," he learns to fend for himself and, eventually has to protect his house against two bumbling burglars (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) who are planning to rob every house in Kevin's suburban Chicago neighborhood. Though the film's slapstick ending may be somewhat violent, Culkin's charming presence helped the film become one of the most successful ever at the time of its release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, (more)
- 1990
- R
Actress Dyan Cannon, whose 1976 directorial debut Number One was nominated for a "best short subject" Academy Award, moves on to feature-length projects with The End of Innocence. In addition to directing, Ms. Cannon wrote the screenplay and played a leading role in this story of a young girl spiritually torn apart by forces beyond her control. Rebecca Schaeffer plays Stephanie Lewis, unwanted and ignored by her eternally squabbling parents. Mom and Dad do further damage to Stephanie's battered psyche by giving her mixed messages concerning sex and religion. The girl's self-esteem dwindles to microscopic proportions thanks to a series of no-good boyfriends. Suffering a nervous breakdown, she is placed in an asylum, where for the first time she treated as a human being rather than a nuisance by compassionate psychiatrist John Heard. Completed in the late 1980s, End of Innocence was released in 1990, one year after the death of star Rebecca Schaeffer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dyan Cannon, John Heard, (more)
- 1989
- PG
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Who do you send after a gang of stump-dumb crooks? Who else but the most intellectually-challenged police force in America, in the sixth installment of the Police Academy series. The Wilson Heights Gang, three thieves whose success as criminals is in inverse proportion to their outwardly-displayed intelligence and criminal talent, are managing to terrorize the city in spite of themselves. The increasingly feeble Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) and his much-put-upon second-in-command Capt. Harris (G.W. Bailey) are instructed to bring the crooks to justice; of course, with the Police Academy regulars as their task force, that's much easier said than done. Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsey, and Bruce Mahler are on hand once again as the comical cops; Peter Bonerz, a former regular on The Bob Newhart Show, stepped in as director. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bubba Smith, David Graf, (more)
- 1988
In this Disney comedy, an unemployed, destitute actress tries to save her dog after it eats too much junk food during a shoot for a dog-food commercial. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
A pile of human bones found at a construction site reopens one of Los Angeles' most notorious unsolved murders: the "Black Dahlia" case of 1947. Veteran movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney) is cast as Doyle, the original investigating detective on the case. Once Doyle has come out of retirement to help Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) piece the new clues together, it becomes apparent that the "Black Dahlia" killer is still alive and at large--and that he was also responsible for another unsolved murder on Doyle's watch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When Santa Claus decides to retire, he appoints a washed-up kiddie show host (Douglas Seale) to take his place. Along the way, the real Santa ends up in the slammer on Christmas Eve, and it's up to goonish, glad-handing Ernest P. Worrall (Jim Varney) to bust him out. Varney plays a handful of supporting characters, including a slick-talking attorney. This film was followed by Ernest Goes to Jail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Douglas Seale, (more)
- 1987
- PG
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In the third sequel to the hit comedy Police Academy, Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) decides that the police force is overworked and understaffed, and he comes up with the idea of recruiting civilian volunteers to work side-by-side with his officers. Of course, with the hapless Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) in charge of training the new Neighborhood Watch groups, one might reasonably expect things will not go smoothly; meanwhile, the duplicitous Capt. Harris (G.W. Bailey) sets his sights on Lassard's job, and he schemes to get his aging boss out of the way. Series regulars Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, Bob Goldthwait, and Tim Kazurinsky are on board, as is Sharon Stone, who moved on to bigger and better things a few years later. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, (more)
- 1987
Upon finding evidence of the loving 40-year relationship between the elderly couple (Billie Bird, Douglas Seale) who formerly owned the house that she and Sam (Ted Danson) have purchased, Diane (Shelley Long) feels miserable about taking the couple's place. To assuage her conscience, Diane talks Sam into throwing a farewell party for the former owners, complete with "surprise" guests. There are surprises, all right, but not the kind that Diane was hoping for. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Real-life married couple Cindy Williams and Bill Hudson star as New York yuppies Lisa and Tom Burke, who moved to Arizona when both are hired by a new ad agency. The couple's boss is big on "family values" and encourages his employees to project an appropriate image. Unfortunately, the Burkes are childless, and for a while it looks as if their fabulous new job will end before it begins. But not to worry: Lisa and Tom hit upon a foolproof scheme to create an "instant" family by advertising for a pair of rambunctious youngsters to pose as the Burkes' children. Since this film originally aired as an installment of ABC's Disney Sunday Movie anthology, one can easily guess the outcome from the moment the opening credits fade from view. Help Wanted: Kids debuted on February 2, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cindy Williams, Bill Hudson, (more)
- 1986
- PG13
This drama follows an unlikely "ratboy" (S.L. Baird) after he is discovered living in a makeshift shelter in a garbage dump. Along comes Nikki Morrison (Sondra Locke, also the director) who meets the half-rodent, half-human creature and takes him over. She talks to a Hollywood producer and holds forth about him on a television talk show but when she brings ratboy to a press conference, he bolts for freedom -- enough is enough. The garbage dump was better. From that point onward, Nikki begins to change her mind about her treatment of the misbegotten creature and he develops an ambivalent feeling for her. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sondra Locke, Robert Townsend, (more)
In this madcap comedy, Demi Moore plays Cassandra and John Cusack is Hoops McCann, two people who eventually fall in love and help each other out. Hoops is a cartoonist working on a teen love story that he hopes will get him accepted into art school. Cassandra is a troubled young woman about to lose her home to a money-hungry developer. Characters with names like Squid Calamari, Clay Stork, or Ack Ack Raymond are involved in the unfolding romance and figure in several slapstick routines. Several cartoon sequences are inserted throughout this comedy to comment on the story. This was director Savage Steve Holland's second feature-length film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Demi Moore, (more)
On the eve of her sister's wedding, suburban teenager Samantha (Molly Ringwald) suffers silently as her family forgets her birthday. Even worse, some total dork (Anthony Michael Hall) keeps propositioning her with sophomoric innuendo when she really craves romantic attention from high-school hunk Jake (Michael Schoeffling). Moving from Samantha's family home as it's invaded by outre relatives to a high-school dance where nothing seems to go her way, this bittersweet teen comedy traces the hopes and disappointments of not only Samantha, but also a host of incidental but memorable characters, from a hapless Japanese exchange student to a prom queen and a posse of barely pubescent nerds. A climactic party scene at which these various strata of young America overcome their rigid hierarchies sets the stage for resolutions both tender and torrid. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, (more)
Max Dugan (Jason Robards Jr.) is an elderly ne'er-do-well whose tenuous mob connections have made him persona non grata with his daughter Marsha Mason. Struggling to raise her restless son Matthew Broderick on her own, Mason is none too pleased when Max returns to the family fold with yet another portfolio of get-rich-quick schemes. Forced to leave town due to the investigative habits of cop Donald Sutherland, Mason's new boyfriend, Max does one last good deed to renew the faith of the disillusioned-with-life Broderick. Watch for Donald Sutherland's son Kiefer in his film debut, and for former Kansas City Royals' batting coach Charlie Lau in the baseball-game finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marsha Mason, Jason Robards, Jr., (more)
In this comedy, a group of randy young interns turn City Hospital upside down with their romantic liaisons and their blunders. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael McKean, Sean Young, (more)
- 1977
As Erin (Mary Elizabeth McDonough) prepares to graduate from high school, she despairs over being the only Walton who has no idea of what she wants to do with her life. She is also convinced that she has absolutely no marketable skills, which is even more depressing. Ultimately, the path to Erin's future is revealed purely by accident--and with the unwitting help of older brother John-Boy (Richard Thomas). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
The case against a big-time racketeer may be dismissed because of a hung jury. Ironside (Raymond Burr) suspects that one of the jury members has been bribed to be the sole "holdout." With only 24 hours at his disposal, the Chief must find out which of the 12 jurors has been bought off--a difficult assignment in that the jury has been sequestered and is beyond his reach. This episode boasts a particularly strong supporting cast, including veteran Hollywood leading lady Marsha Hunt as a no-nonsense judge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
"Movies like Getting Straight are ceasing to be tolerable" complained one conservative movie magazine of 1970. Today, the once-relevant but now merely entertaining Getting Straight is not only tolerable, but downright user-friendly. Elliot Gould plays a Vietnam vet who decides to attend college after his tour of duty. Though much too old and worldly to truly fit in with the naive flower-power generation, Gould becomes swept up in the various activist movements on campus. The leading character's crisis of conscience concerns his field of study: he wants to be a teacher for idealistic reasons, while his Establishment professors try to convince him that it's just another job, and hardly the best one at that. He finally chooses which side he's on while attempting to act as a mediator between students and faculty during a campus riot. Candice Bergen plays Gould's girlfriend, while Robert F. Lyons steals every scene he's in as a draft dodger who'll go to any lengths to avoid military service. Getting Straight represents the final screen appearance of Cecil Kellaway, here cast as a hidebound tenured professor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, Candice Bergen, (more)
Country and western star Ferlin Husky plays a backwoods yokel who inherits a Las Vegas saloon staffed by barmaid Mamie Van Doren. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Cat Burglar is an unofficial reworking of 1953's Pickup on South Street. Burglar Jack Hogan steals a briefcase which, unbeknownst to him, contains a valuable secret scientific formula. The owner of the briefcase was on the verge of selling the formula to an unnamed (but somewhat slavic-sounding) foreign power. Thus it is that the burglar has the owner, the spies, and the police on his tail. Directed by former Republic western specialist William Witney, Cat Burglar was independently produced by Roger Corman's brother Gene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Based on the novel I Cover the Waterfront, this uninspired crime melodrama stars Ron Foster as Skip Hanlon, a reporter who inadvertently gets involved in tracking down a criminal operation on the waterfront. Hanlon falls in love with Janey Fowler (Merry Anders) whose father is a sea captain doing some questionable work for the Mafia. When one of the mafiosi gets too hot to stay in the U.S., the elder Fowler (Barry Kelley) ships them out of the country. After the reporter decides to blow the whistle on the sea captain, circumstances lead him closer to danger and farther from the object of his affection. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Foster, Barry Kelley, (more)
- 1960
Filmmaker Richard Rush made his directorial debut with this low-budget drama about the danger of teenage romance and juvenile delinquency. Cathy Taylor (Jennifer West) and Jim Mills (Richard Evans) are a pair of teenagers who have fallen in love. When they're spotted making out at a local lover's lane by the police, they're arrested and brought in to the station; their parents, imagining the worst, warn them that their romance could lead to behavior that could ruin their lives. However, Cathy and Jim, brought even closer together by their misfortune, are heedless of their parents' pleas, and before long Cathy finds herself pregnant. In no position to marry, Jim offers to pay for an illegal abortion, but he has to turn to crime in order to raise the money. Keep an eye peeled for a young Jack Nicholson, who plays a youthful troublemaker named Buddy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer West, Richard Evans, (more)
- 1959
Director Hugo Haas reprises the theme of romantic love in this routine yet innocent story of matchmaking. The setting is an overcrowded tenement building in which the residents seem to live beyond the reach of muggers or drug dealers or trigger-happy gangs because they mingle and mix in the halls as they energetically interact with each other. Prof. Brauer (Haas) is a music teacher whose neighbor Dorothy (Carol Morris, a former Miss Universe) is a single woman, a seamstress by trade. Prof. Brauer sees a potentially ideal match for her in his student Eddie (Dick Kallman). While he is promoting that concept, Dorothy is busy introducing him to her friend Mrs. Hoffmann (Vera Vague), a rich widow. Cupid's arrows dart right and left as these two possible couples meet. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Morris, Vera Vague, (more)
- 1958
The plot and title of Unwed Mother are virtually one and the same. Betty (Norma Moore), the heroine, falls for the smooth line of patter delivered by no-good heel Dona (Robert Vaughan). Pretending to be a man of wealth, Dona convinces country gal Betty to give him her paychecks, promising to pay her back as soon as his inheritance comes through. He also assures her that he'll marry her when the time is right. When Betty becomes pregnant, she learns what the audience has known all along about the prevaricating Dona. After putting her child up for adoption, Betty has second thoughts, and thus spends the final reel chasing after the foster parents who've taken charge of her baby. Unwed Mother was originally released on a double bill with the equally unsubtle Joy Ride. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Moore, Robert Vaughn, (more)
